Tiger Woods tests elbow at British Open course: 'It felt fine'

Tiger Woods is greeted by Jason Day during a British Open practice at Muirfield.

Tiger Woods is greeted by Jason Day during a British Open practice at Muirfield. (David Cannon / Getty Images)

David Wharton

If there were any doubts about Tiger Woods' determination to return from an elbow injury and play in the British Open this week, he pretty much put them to rest on Sunday.

Stepping off an overnight flight to Scotland, Woods went directly to Muirfield for a practice round.

"I took a couple of weeks off and that's why I didn't play and I started practicing last week,'' Woods told ESPN.com while playing with Jason Day and Dustin Johnson. "It felt fine. That's one of the reasons I let it heal, so I could go right back at it.''

Woods hasn't played since the U.S. Open last month. He skipped the AT&T National, where he was the defending champion, and did not compete at the Greenbrier Classic.

A third-round 81 sunk his chances the last time he played a British Open at Muirfield in 2002. He finished in a tie for 28th.

"It's obviously playing a lot quicker than it did in '02,'' Woods said of his practice round on Sunday. "These fairways have some fire to them. The greens aren't up to speed but I'm sure they will get there. It's been dry over here. This place is firm. We're hitting the ball a long ways downwind.''